Free Republic

The U.S. Senate has become more polarized during President Joe Biden’s tenure, with Democrats and Republicans increasingly playing the role of hard-liners even though leadership on the Republican side of the aisle remains moderate, according to a new study from the CPAC Foundation’s Center for Legislative Accountability. The group assigns scores to lawmakers based on how often they took the more conservative position — Democrats voted the conservative position only 2% of the time, whereas Republicans took the conservative position only 80% of the time — a far cry from the 98% that would be expected if Republicans were the...

A “greedy and grotesque” LA woman has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for fraudulently obtaining real-estate property in a multimillion-dollar squatting scheme that included dismembering and disposing of a body. Caroline Joanne Herrling, 44, of West Hills was sentenced Friday to 240 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $3,887,051 in restitution for the elaborate racket, the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This defendant’s misconduct was both greedy and grotesque, causing profound pain to the victims and their loved ones,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said.

Donald Trump was granted a partial reprieve as an appeals court drastically cut the $454 million bond he was required to post in his New York civil fraud case Monday — and the ex-president said it would be his “honor” to put up the lower amount. A five-judge panel reduced the massive amount to $175 million — a cut of nearly 62% — and gave Trump 10 days to come up with the funds, according to a brief decision handed down by the Appellate Division, First Department, on Monday morning. “It will be my honor to post, and we’ll post...

Donald Trump calls in to The Rush Limbaugh Show for a 20-minute radio interview on January 6, 2019. Full transcript and analysis: https://f2.link/200106

U.S. Air National Guard photo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US Air Force (USAF) is on track to certify the iconic Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk for aerial refueling on its latest tanker, the Boeing KC-46, by the end of March 2024. Despite the F-117 fleet’s retirement from active service, the USAF is moving forward with plans to integrate it into the KC-46’s refueling capabilities. Andrew Hunter, the USAF’s acquisition boss, disclosed the inclusion of the F-117 as a receiver for aerial refueling during a testimony to the House armed services projection forces subcommittee on March 12, 2024, as first reported by Aviation Week. The...

The $464 million judgment “still stands” against former President Donald Trump, a spokesperson from New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office responded to Monday’s court ruling. The five-panel New York appeals court ruled Trump could post a bond “in the amount of $175 million” to cover the judgment. The court also delayed enforcement of the $464 million judgment by ten days. “The $464 million judgment — plus interest — against Donald Trump and the other defendants still stands,” the spokesperson said.

A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER flying from New York-JFK to London-Gatwick (LGW) was forced to divert to St John’s in Newfoundland, Canada after one of the pilots became incapacitated. The flight, with flight number BA 2272, departed New York-JFK at 21:54 on March 14, 2024, for the seven-hour and 50-minute flight back to London, where it was due to land at 08:05 the following morning. However, after around three hours of flying eastbound and with the aircraft cruising at 40,000ft and 440 nautical miles northeast of St. John’s, the crew declared an emergency, reporting that one of the flight crew...

... However, Russia experts and a Wagner defector who told the ICC that the Kremlin had ordered "atrocities" in Ukraine have noted several bizarre occurrences on the night of the terror attack. Former GRU Colonel Igor Salikov says that police units supposedly disappeared around the time of the attack, while Vlad's elite forces stationed nearby also failed to show. He claims it all points to a "botched inside job" by the FSB or a poorly executed response by Russian emergency services. Another key detail is the amateur way the four gunmen handled their Kalashnikov machine guns despite ISIS fighters undergoing...

ARLINGTON, VA — In a bid to further solidify the company's push for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would be resigning after evidence surfaced that he is a white male. Though airplane malfunctions and emergencies continued to make headlines, a company spokesperson stressed that its staunch commitment to DEI practices was the impetus for Calhoun's stepping down after new information revealed his white maleness. "This was a shocking revelation," the spokesperson said. "Once it came to light that Mr. Calhoun is a white male, everyone knew he could no longer continue as CEO. Boeing takes...

Inaugural flight marks major milestone toward return of supersonic travel. XB-1 provides the foundation for Boom’s supersonic airliner, Overture. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today, Boom announced the successful flight of XB-1, the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet, at the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California. Like Overture, Boom’s supersonic airliner, XB-1 leverages state-of-the-art technologies to enable efficient supersonic flight including carbon fiber composites, advanced avionics, digitally-optimized aerodynamics, and an advanced supersonic propulsion system. VIDEO AT LINK............. “Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947,” said Blake Scholl, founder...

Opened at 40.58. Just hit 51.48!

A group of fishing associations is sounding the alarm about new plans from the Biden administration to industrialize the Gulf of Maine by leasing two million acres of area for wind farm construction, a move that fishermen say will be detrimental to their business and marine life.One large portion of the WEA is frequented by the endangered North Atlantic right whale, the groups said. Leasing the area to wind farming "is flatly inconsistent with a policy of endangered species protection."

Biden family dog Major sees a tennis ball next to President Joe Biden on the Resolute Desk Thursday, March 4, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House. Adam Schultz / White House Photo (The Center Square) – President Joe Biden's dogs have been on a biting spree, and now an investigation is under way. The House Education and the Workforce Committee has launched an investigation into the Occupational Safety and Health Administration raising the question: Is Biden's dog getting special treatment while White House staff fear getting bitten? Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., sent...

The recently released comedy film, The American Society of Magical Negroes suffered a disappointing opening weekend at the box office, raising concerns about its financial viability. Produced by Focus Features and directed by Kobi Libii, the film managed to accumulate a total of $1,304,270 in its debut weekend across 1,147 theaters in the United States. Despite its wide release, the movie’s earnings fell extremely below expectations. While the exact production budget remains undisclosed, industry analysts consider these figures alarming for the rest of the film’s theatrical run.

Senate Democrats have blocked an amendment to a government funding bill that would ensure President Joe Biden’s administration cannot use American taxpayer money to fund flights for migrants into the United States via his “CBP One” mobile app. Late last week, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) forced a vote on an amendment to the funding bill to prevent Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from flying migrants into the U.S. interior using taxpayer money. “Make no mistake: President Biden has been secretly flying hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens from foreign countries into blue-city airports,” Hagerty said on the Senate floor:...

Albuquerque police say a woman trying to protect her 4-yearold grandchild shot an auto theft suspect who twice broke into her home demanding car keys Friday night in the North Valley. Joseph Rivera, 32, is charged with burglary, attempted burglary and auto theft. Rivera is currently on pretrial release in a July 2023 case in which he was found in a stolen vehicle with fentanyl, cocaine and heroin on him, according to court records. On Friday, around 8 p.m., police tried to pull over a stolen truck near Central and Cypress and used spike strips to flatten the tires, according...

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Steele criticized the New York appeals court’s decision to pause enforcement of the multimillion-dollar judgment against former President Trump and his company over deceitful business practices. In a terse order on Monday, a five-judge state appeals court panel said it would delay the enforcement of the $464 million judgment against Trump, the Trump Organization and top executives, plus interest, if they post bond within 10 days. The bond amount was also slashed by more than half. “Yet again, @realDonaldTrump gets special treatment with his own private system of justice,” Steele, a regular critic...

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a man’s lawsuit challenging his placement on the federal government’s “No Fly List” can proceed, finding that the government did not prove the case was moot after removing him from the list. Yonas Fikre, a U.S. citizen, claimed the FBI unlawfully placed him on the list and pressured him to become an informant. While the government argued Fikre’s removal meant the case was moot, the Court rejected this view, allowing the merits of the allegations to be examined in lower courts

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova published an outraged screed on Sunday claiming the American government was “bailing out” Ukraine by blaming the Islamic State terrorist organization for the massacre of over 130 people at a concert hall outside of Moscow on Friday. Multiple gunmen opened fire on crowds at the Crocus City concert venue and mall complex on Friday night, indiscriminately firing on attendees at a yet-to-begin concert by the rock band Piknik and others at the mall for sightseeing and other activities. At least one terrorist detonated an explosive or indenciary device, causing a massive fire responsible in...

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Sunday to push for Rep. Mike Gallagher’s (R-Wis.) expulsion from Congress ahead of his scheduled departure next month to allow his district time to select a new representative. Gallagher, the chair of the House Select Committee on China, announced last month that he would not seek reelection. On Friday, however, he said his last day would be April 19. His scheduled departure date would leave the House GOP conference with a decidedly slim majority, perhaps for the remainder of the year; Wisconsin election law requires a special election...